Breathe
by Frog-Lizard
Summary: Lizard: A person can live a week without food, a few days without water, but only a few minutes without air. So just how long can Hotch hang on? First CM fic, no pairing. Second chapter added.
1. Chapter 1

_Lizard: 'mkay, this is my first CM fanfic, but I couldn't resist the sudden attack of inspiration. I love Hotch, and think there should be more stories with him that _don't_ include romance. Just gets a little old. Thus, there is **no pairing** in this story. Just friendship. I may expand on this story, if anyone likes it, but no promises._

* * *

Hotch groaned in pain as he was dragged once again to his feet by his captor. The man, Fredrick Scottson, glared at him with the insane gleam of a killer in his eyes. Hotch had given up on being found in time. He just hoped Fredrick was caught before anyone else was hurt. Blood dripped from multiple lacerations on his face, and he was pretty sure his nose was broken. Without looking he could almost count the bruises on his body, and the fingers in his right hand were certainly not supposed to be that size or color.

Fredrick licked his lips and leaned in closer to his hostage, the smell of alchol nearly knocked Aaron out, and brought on a surge of long buried memories, "It's time."

"For what?" Hotch whispered weakly.

The killer smiled, "Your baptism."

Hotch closed his eyes and tried to prepare himself for what he now knew was coming. The murder victims had all been drowned, but no one knew how or for what reason. It was religious. Of course, a man on a mission.

Before he knew it he was being dragged down one of the many poorly lit corridors in the old underground complex. An old research facility, Hotch assumed, that had been turned into Fredrick's "secret lair" as it were. They came to an area Aaron hadn't seen before and he was shoved into a cement room with a table bolted to the floor, complete with restraints. The killer grabbed him from behind and practically threw him onto the table. He didn't resist as he was strapped to the table, and he barely blinked as Fredrick leaned over him with a phsycotic grin on his face.

"Tight?" the man snickered headed out of the room.

Hotch closed his eyes as the sound of the heavy metal door being shut and sealed echoed through the room. In some distant part of his brain he wondered why the door was so heavy and well locked, it wasn't like he was going anywhere. That was when the water started. Aaron's eyes snapped open and he turned frantically to the side to see water pouring out of a pipe in the corner. Turning his head in the other direction he saw Fredrick, behind a window, with that same sadistic the instant that Hotch's terrified eyes met Fredrick's insane ones, the man waved, and that was it for Hotch.

He yanked desperately at the restraints, trying for all he was worth to get out. He thought he could accept dying, but like_ this_?! His back arched off the table as he frantically tried to loosen the restraints. The leather clasps, however, wouldn't give an inch. With a cry of frustration, Hotch continued fighting for his life.

* * *

"Clear!" Morgan shouted from the head of the SWAT team.

He looked helplessly around the room, Rossi right behind him, tension flowing off every move they made. Finding the unsub once they knew his name had been surprisingly easy, but Fredrick was intelligent _and_phsycotic, a deadly mixture.

"C'mon, Hotch, where are you?" Morgan muttered under his breath as room after room turned up empty.

* * *

The water was lapping at the bottom of the bottom of the tabletop now, and tears of desperation stung the corners of Hotch's eyes. His wrists were bleeding now and Fredrick had left looking as though he had heard something. Not that Aaron cared, all he wanted was out. At the first touch of water on his back, Hotch yanked with a new passion at the restraints. When he was once again met with no success, he arched his back and pulled as hard as he could a choked sob of hopelessness escaping his lips.

He took one last breath of air as the water slipped over his head.

The first shot was a warning, the bullet hitting the floor inches from Morgan's shoe. Everyone dove for cover, but all Rossi could think was there wasn't time for this, even though he didn't know why. Fredrick fired another shot, this one actually aimed, though it still missed.

"Fredrick! We know you're there. If you surrender yourself now the charges will be lighter," Rossi started, while motioning for Morgan and a couple SWAT members to go around behind.

"Begone, armies of Satan!! I am doing God's work!!" The angry voice called from behind one of the racks in the room.

Dave noticed Reid's ever so slight change of expression, and assumed the tone was familiar to the young profiler. His eyes turned to the items on the rack he was using for shelter and his stomach turned as he recognized the labels as different acids and flamable chemicals. What could this man have done to Hotch? His mind wandered back to the pictures of the other victims, all some kind of law enforcement workers, and the obvious signs of torture they bore.

He shook his head and returned to his attempts at negotiation. He was getting no where when another shot fired, followed by the sound of struggle.

"We got 'em!" Morgan called.

Dave, Reid and Emily rushed over to where Fredrick was being dragged to his feet by two SWAT members. The man growled menacingly and gave a couple rebellious tugs, but otherwise did nothing.

Dave narrowed his eyes, "Looks like we win," he mocked in reference to the taunting notes Fredrick always left behind.

Fredrick snickered, and looked up to meet the older profiler's gaze, "Where's your friend?"

Dave stiffened and looked over at Morgan. The other man nodded and in an instant the duo was charging down the hall Fredrick had come from, Rossi calling back to Emily and Reid to take over. Running down the hall, Dave was suddenly aware of the sound of water running, and he skidded to a stop next to two doors, one heavily shut and apparently sealed. Pulling out his gun, he cautiously led the way into the room. It was empty, and Morgan cursed as he kicked at the only piece of furniture in the room, a lone chair. Dave sighed and ran a hand through his hair, turning slowly. As he lifted his head, the sight before him made him freeze and his blood run cold.

"Hotch...."

"What?" Derek turned around in confusion, until he saw what the older profiler was staring in horror at.

Hotch's motionless form was strapped to a metal table in the middle of a small room. A small room almost completely filled with water. Rossi snapped out of it first and bolted out the door and to the sealed one next to it. Frantically he stared at the control box next to it. He struggled to focus on the words, and pressed the one that said "close." To his limited relief the sound of water stopped.

Morgan grabbed the doors wheel mechanism that sealed it shut.* and tugged as hard as he could. Water started seeping around the edges and Rossi reached to grab onto something just as the door swung open and a flood of water poured out. As soon as he could stand upright without the help of his handhold, Dave was inside the room, Derek right beside him.

Rossi muttered a curse under his breath as he established Hotch was not breathing. Swinging onto the table, he straddled his boss and started CPR as Morgan pulled out a pocket knife and attacked the restraints.

"Breath, breath, breath...," the words became a mantra for Dave.

The younger man glanced up constantly, worry evident on his was a crack as a rib snapped under the pressure. Rossi didn't stop. Morgan finished with the restraints and watched the older profiler continue on. How long had it been? It felt like hours. Rossi still didn't stop.

"Breath, Hotch, breath!" He nearly begged.

"Rossi...it's not...he's gone," Morgan murmured weakly.

"Not yet," Dave grunted.

He kept going. Just as Morgan was about to drag the man off, there was a cough. Rossi stopped and leapt off, rolling Aaron onto his side as he started choking. Derek could have cried with relief as he watched his boss cough up several mouthfulls of water and collapse back against the table, breathing heavily.

"That's it Hotch, we got you...just breath," Rossi sighed in relief.

"Th-thank you...," Hotch rasped so quietly it was scarcely a breath.

"No problem, Hotch. We got your back," Derek said shakily as he squeezed his bosses shoulder.

Rossi ran a hand through his hair and closed his eyes for a moment, "Just keep breathing Hotch, keep breathing...."

* * *

_Lizard: Hm...I've done worse. So let me know what you think, I love to hear from you!!_

_*I have no idea what this is called. It's the thing you see on vaults or the hatch in a submarine...._

_LIZARD OUT_


	2. Chapter 2

_Lizard: Alright, you convinced me, I have to continue. Thank you to __**zippy zany**__ for the suggestions, and to the rest of you for the reviews._

* * *

"Can we move him?" Morgan asked uncertainly when Dave mentioned getting out of there.

"He drowned, he didn't break his neck. If we're careful we can-" Rossi started, but was interrupted by a soft sound from the shivering man they were discussing.

"C-can...walk," Hotch rasped tiredly.

Dave looked down at him in concern and noticed how much the younger man was shaking. Without a word he helped him into a sitting position and tugged of the tattered jacket. Despite the small sound of protest from Aaron, the Dave wrapped his own jacket around his boss's shoulders before slowly helping him to his feet. Almost immediately Hotch's legs gave out. Both men caught him before he could hit the floor.

He groaned softly, "May-maybe not."

"C'mon, we'll help you," Morgan grunted, pulling his arm over his shoulder as Dave did the same.

"Unless you'd rather be carried," Rossi added at the slightly irritated look they received.

Hotch snorted but allowed himself to be helped out of the room and down the long corridor. The trio made their way slowly, Morgan directing them around any obstacles in their path, while Rossi started talking into the radio to tell the others to make sure the ambulance was ready.

"What happened?" Emily asked through the device.

"Long story, just have that ambulance ready. I'll explain once Hotch is safely on his way to a hospital."

Hotch looked disgusted in an exhausted way, but didn't argue. To Dave their progress was agonizingly slow, but any faster and Hotch wouldn't be able to keep up at all. He was barely standing and being dragged more than anything already as it was. As they came to the room where they had caught Fredrick, Hotch stumbled and gasped in pain, his body instinctively trying to double over.

"Woah, woah, there. What's wrong?" Morgan stopped immediatly and used his other arm to support his friend.

Hotch just hissed in pain and yanked his arm away from Rossi to wrap it around his chest protectively.

"Broken rib, sorry about that," Dave cringed, "Chest compressions can do that."

"Alright, enough of this," Derek scowled and turned Hotch into another position.

Before the supervisory agent could protest, he was being carried through the room. At first he tried to struggle, but gave up when the effort proved to be too much and just let his head loll back and closed his eyes in exhaustion, almost immediately drifting off to sleep. Morgan raised an eyebrow in mild amusement, but it was tempered by the concern that still hung heavily around them. Hotch was often quite tired, but not so much he would pass out in someones arms. His eyes scanned the man's body as he walked.

Hotch was much thinner than usual and his skin was sickly pale. He was wet, of course, and shivering badly, despite Rossi's coat. The cuts and bruises on his face stood out against the whiteness of his skin, and it made Morgan flinch at the thought of what condition the rest of his body must be in. In his sleep, Aaron winced and seemed to press closer to Morgan's warmth. It scared the dark skinned profiler to death to see his boss look so vulnerable and weak.

They were at the exit, Dave silently pushed the heavy iron door open for his comrades, his eyes lingering worriedly on his boss as they passed. Almost immediatly, Emily and Reid were upon them.

"Is he okay? What happened?" Emily started, while Reid just looked shocked and as horrified as Morgan felt.

"He'll be fine once he gets to the hospital. We found out how Fredrick was drowning his victims," Rossi explained as Derek handed off Hotch to the paramedics somewhat hesitantly.

"What did he do to them?" Reid asked softly.

"Torture, down to the drowning," Morgan muttered in disgust, "He strapped the victims to a table and slowly filled the room they were in with water. They had to know what was happening the whole time."

"Which would explain the marks on the wrists and ankles, they were trying to escape," Emily concluded quietly.

None of them could quite admit to themselves yet that their boss had gone through exactly that.

* * *

He could hear voices, hushed but close. Then there was that obnoxious beeping, he wished someone would turn it off. His mind was muddled, but slowly he concluded by the smell of antiseptic and sounds that he must be in the hospital. But why? He racked his brain for any reason, but it was like trying to see through a thick fog, he was getting no where.

Maybe opening his eyes would help.

"I think he's waking up," a female voice said excitedly from somewhere nearby.

He knew that voice... but before he could dwell on it anymore another one joined in.

"C'mon Hotch, open your eyes man," male this time.

Hotch slowly peeled his eyes open and squinted at the blinding light above him. A shadow suddenly came across him and he struggled to focus on the face peering down at him.

"G-Garcia?" he rasped, only to send himself into a coughing fit.

Someone held a glass of water up to his lips and he drank it thankfully.

"That's right hot stuff, we're all here," she replied warmly.

He looked around and sure enough the whole team was sitting in the hospital room watching him, most with smiles on their faces, and relief evident in their features.

"What happened?" he asked cautiously.

Rossi gave him a concerned look, "You don't remember?"

"Drugs...messing with my head," he muttered dryly.

Morgan chuckled next to his head softly, "You almost drown Hotch. They got you to the hospital, you had all kinds of nasty things in those cuts, and to top it all off you came down with a mild case of pneumonia, which you're still getting over. You've been out for two whole days."

Hotch frowned for a moment, and the others watched as the memories suddenly returned. He grimaced and looked almost frightened as he recalled the events in the week he had been missing, "Oh."

"Do you remember?" Rossi asked again.

He paused, then turned and looked accusingly at Rossi, "I remember _you_ broke my ribs."

Everyone laughed, "Yeah, he'll be just fine," Emily chuckled.

"You caught...Fredrick?" he asked slowly.

"Yes, and he confessed almost immediately," Reid informed him proudly.

"Good," Hotch sighed and leaned his head back with his eyes closed.

"Alright, kids, I think we better let him get some rest. Out," Rossi ordered, herding the group out the door.

"Dave?"

He turned around and looked at his boss who was watching him with an unreadable expression, "Yes, Hotch?"

"Thank you...for not giving up on me."

Dave nodded, "Anytime."

* * *

"He looks so innocent," Garcia cooed.

Emily giggled slightly, "He does, doesn't he? Like a little kid."

They were watching Hotch sleeping soundly on the couch in the jet. Reid and Morgan were playing cards at the table and Rossi was writing in his files with his earphones in. As soon as they got on the plane, Morgan had directed their boss to the couch and instructed him to lie down and sleep. Despite protesting quite vehemently at first, Hotch finally relented and lay down to sleep. He was out in minutes.

In the back, Rossi glanced up briefly to see the girl's watching Hotch sleep. They looked like they were just having a normal conversation, but Dave could see the new care in there faces, the want, or rather need to protect him. It was reflected in Reid's concerned glance at their boss when he would fidget in his sleep, or Morgan's constant pushing for Hotch to take it easy. This was a sort of turn around for the team, and Rossi honestly hoped they would never take their boss for granted again.

For the moment, though, they were all safe and Dave set aside his file and leaned back. In the rare moment of contentment for the older profiler, he sat back and just watched Hotch breath.

* * *

_Hm...More difficult than the first chapter. I'm sorry, some of the characters were a bit out of character form time to time, that is something I have always had trouble with. I hope you liked it, and I'm sorry if it didn't measure up to any expectations. Thanks for reading, and let me know if you'd like me to write more for him!!_

_LIZARD OUT_


End file.
